Derek Lomas

Resonance, a powerful and pervasive phenomenon, appears to play a major role in human interactions. This article investigates the relationship between the physical mechanism of resonance and the human experience of resonance, and considers possibilities for enhancing the experience of resonance within human–robot interactions. We first introduce resonance as a widespread cultural and scientific metaphor. Then, we review the nature of “sympathetic resonance” as a physical mechanism. Following… Meer weergeven

Resonance, a powerful and pervasive phenomenon, appears to play a major role in human interactions. This article investigates the relationship between the physical mechanism of resonance and the human experience of resonance, and considers possibilities for enhancing the experience of resonance within human–robot interactions. We first introduce resonance as a widespread cultural and scientific metaphor. Then, we review the nature of “sympathetic resonance” as a physical mechanism. Following this introduction, the remainder of the article is organized in two parts. In part one, we review the role of resonance (including synchronization and rhythmic entrainment) in human cognition and social interactions. Then, in part two, we review resonance-related phenomena in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). These two reviews serve as ground for the introduction of a design strategy and combinatorial design space for shaping resonant interactions with robots and AI. We conclude by posing hypotheses and research questions for future empirical studies and discuss a range of ethical and aesthetic issues associated with resonance in human–robot interactions. Minder weergeven

Classical theories of harmony have been used to explain phenomena like beauty, happiness, health, virtue, pleasure, peace, and even ecological sustainability. With the intent of making these theories more accessible to designers, this article reviews the conception of harmony from about 500 BCE to the present. It begins with a brief overview of harmony in classical Chinese and Greek philosophy. Then it examines the role of harmony in the renaissance, the scientific revolution, and the early… Meer weergeven

Classical theories of harmony have been used to explain phenomena like beauty, happiness, health, virtue, pleasure, peace, and even ecological sustainability. With the intent of making these theories more accessible to designers, this article reviews the conception of harmony from about 500 BCE to the present. It begins with a brief overview of harmony in classical Chinese and Greek philosophy. Then it examines the role of harmony in the renaissance, the scientific revolution, and the early modern period across topics in aesthetics, ethics, physics, politics, and economics. Finally, turning to the 20th century, this article highlights the conceptual function of harmony in psychology, neuroscience, computer science, and design. This synthesis concludes with a review of applications and implications for contemporary designers. An essential conclusion of this article is that harmony involves the integration of diversity into a greater whole; harmony is not pure agreement or “sameness.” Overall, we suggest that classical principles of harmony might serve as a theoretical framework to help designers develop a more sustainable and vibrant vision of the future. Minder weergeven

Online games can serve as research instruments to explore
the effects of game design elements on motivation and
learning. In our research, we manipulated the design of an
online math game to investigate the effect of challenge on
player motivation and learning. To test the “Inverted-U
Hypothesis”, which predicts that maximum game
engagement will occur with moderate challenge, we
produced two large-scale (10K and 70K subjects), multifactor
(2x3 and 2x9x8x4x25) online… Meer weergeven

Online games can serve as research instruments to explore
the effects of game design elements on motivation and
learning. In our research, we manipulated the design of an
online math game to investigate the effect of challenge on
player motivation and learning. To test the “Inverted-U
Hypothesis”, which predicts that maximum game
engagement will occur with moderate challenge, we
produced two large-scale (10K and 70K subjects), multifactor
(2x3 and 2x9x8x4x25) online experiments. We found
that, in almost all cases, subjects were more engaged and
played longer when the game was easier, which seems to
contradict the generality of the Inverted-U Hypothesis.
Troublingly, we also found that the most engaging design
conditions produced the slowest rates of learning. Based on
our findings, we describe several design implications that
may increase challenge-seeking in games, such as providing
feedforward about the anticipated degree of challenge. Minder weergeven